WAYNE BENNETT will get the chance to lead England into the 2021 World Cup if he delivers success in the next two years, the Rugby Football League’s director of rugby Kevin Sinfield said today.

Sinfield, who made the recommendation to reappoint the 68-year-old Australian after he took England to the final of the 2017 World Cup, says Bennett is happy to extend his stay by two years rather than the four hinted at by RFL interim boss Ralph Rimmer.

“It’s the best person for the job and currently Wayne is that,” Sinfield said.

“Hence the reason he wasn’t given a four-year deal, he was given a two-year deal.

“It’s up to him. If we win every Test with England and Great Britain up until the end of 2019, he’s in pole position to carry on if he wants to.

“But if we don’t, at the end of that two-year period, again we’ll have a thorough review and make the right call so the best person gets the job to lead us into the World Cup.

“The two years suits Wayne and it suits us. There has been some thinking behind this. We have got a four-year plan.”

Bennett, whose full-time contract with Brisbane Broncos expires at the end of 2019, will be 71 when the next World Cup comes around.

Sinfield added: “Wayne is hungry and he really wants to succeed for England.

“He cares so much about the players and ultimately his decision was made not by how much we wanted him but by the players wanting him to continue.”